The BC Wildfire Service has reported that a new wildfire has grown to about 1,706 hectares, and it is located almost two kilometres northwest of the village of Lytton –a community still struggling to recover from the last conflagration.
The agency said that four unit crews, five initial attack crews, 19 Lytton First Nation firefighters, an incident management team, and structure protection personnel are working to control the wildfire, which has been classified as “out of control.”
The fire comes just over a year after a previous wildfire destroyed the town of Lytton, The Canadian Press reported. Complicating matters further is that the work to clean up and rebuild Lytton had only begun very recently.
Lytton First Nation acting chief John Haugen said that the wildfire has already destroyed six residences and led to evacuation orders that forced some 97 people from his community to leave, in addition to the 40 other people from neighbouring areas. The leader also noted that electricity in the region is not expected to be restored for at least 10 days, adding that restoration plans have not been considered when there is no official timeline for when residents may be allowed to return.
Haugen also warned that there is a potential for a thunderstorm this week, which could push the wildfire situation in a “different direction.”
